As they say in the Michelin guidebooks, it’s definitely “worth the trip.” There are three very good reasons to visit Weiden, Germany. 1. Have dinner nearby, in the best restaurant in Germany. Chef Thomas Kellermann is a maestro, presiding over a kitchen surely staffed by muses. 2. Spend the night in recently renovated rooms above the restaurant, in the Relais & Chateau Burg Wernberg. The castle was built in 1280. 3. Visit Vantage Film, ten minutes away, home of Hawk lenses and mother-ship of world-class rental houses in Weiden, Prague, Paris, and Berlin. read more…

Its code name was Max. Designers of the new Leica SL autofocus, full frame (Leica Format), mirrorless, interchangeable lens camera said Max stood for “maximum,” or “to the max.” However, other Maxes lurk in Leica’s history. Max Berek developed the lens for the first Leica Model A (Leica I) camera. It was a 50mm f/3.5 fixed lens, named Elmax, apparently from the letters E (Ernst) L ( Leitz) and Max (Berek). The real name is SL for “Spiegellos” (mirrorless).

With PhotoPlus Expo coming up next week in New York, Canon is rolling out some new still cameras. The G5 X puts an eagerly-awaited EVF onto a 20.2 Megapixel, 1.0-inch CMOS sensor pocketable camera with fast f/1.8-2.8 4.2x zoom lens (35mm equivalent of 24-100mm). Canon’s G9X is smaller, has fewer features, slower and shorter zoom range, and no EVF. And Canon’s new M10 is a small mirrorless APS-C sensor camera with interchangeable lens mount that accepts EOS lenses using an adapter. read more…

Ali Walker is a British filmmaker and artist. He has been working on fashion and beauty, product and corporate image films for Asprey using AJA CION cameras. Asprey London was founded in 1781. Their jewelery and luxury products continue a grand tradition of craftsmanship, quality, and design. This was the first time they did a video project. read more…

More than $8 million in cine equipment was reported stolen last year. What to do? Don’t leave equipment unattended. Don’t leave equipment unattended, even in locked vehicles. Lock up equipment in a safe area at night, even if the studio is locked. Treat camera equipment as risky business — like jewelry. At trade shows like IBC, watch your cameras and lenses like hawks, and hire guards. read more…

ICG’s 19th ANNUAL EMERGING CINEMATOGRAPHER AWARDS SCREENING & RECEPTION– NEW YORK CITY The International Cinematographers Guild, Emerging Cinematographer Awards NYC event will take place in New York City on Sunday, October 25, 2015, at 3:00 PM, at the School of Visual Arts Theatre, followed by a cocktail reception. An exciting evening of excellent short films honored for their Artistic Achievement in Cinematography at the… read more…

Japan is now probably the 4th largest feature producting nation in the world. That’s why we’ll be at Inter BEE again this November. FDTJ – Film and Digital Times Japanese language edition will be distributed from our booth and the booths of our sponsors. Inter BEE 2015 will be in Makuhari Messe over three days from November 18 (Wednesday) to 20… read more…

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